Adelaide’s own Anna Jeavons is providing a final, poignant glimpse into her creative world before her studio album, 'Anomie', officially arrives. Her latest offering, ‘Smart Casual’, is a masterclass in atmospheric songwriting that proves why she has become one of the most respected storytellers in the South Australian scene.
Produced by Ben Stewart of Slowly Slowly fame, the track is a slow-burn marvel. It draws the listener in with a steady, commanding vocal performance before erupting into a dense thicket of layered guitars and a cinematic finale. It is a song that feels lived-in, born from the friction of navigating life’s more turbulent chapters.
Speaking on the track’s origin, Jeavons shares: “'Smart Casual' is a song about how we don’t grow all year round and, like plants, need light and time. Like a lot of songs on the album, it wrestles with existential angst; it’s an outpouring of loneliness, and yearning for meaning. In the lyrics I say: I don’t believe in anything; I am more alone than I have ever been’.”
Despite the heavy lyrical weight, there is a resilient core to the music. “But it’s not all depressing. At the end you can hear me repeat the lyrics ‘it’ll be alright’, almost like a mantra. I think I wanted to believe I could tend to the parts of me that felt cold or buried – and eventually be ready to unfurl and grow again.”
This sense of environmental connection carries over into the official music video, co-directed by Jeavons and Brendan Levi. Shot across striking Adelaide locations like Brownhill Creek and Belair, the visuals serve as a vital anchor for Jeavons, who lives with Bipolar 1 Disorder.
“Imagery like lying in grass, or being engulfed by the ocean, is an important visual for the album. Reconnecting with the natural world, and listening to it, helps me slow down; to stop rushing headlong to my death. It makes me feel connected to something bigger, universal, eternal – to the natural order of things. Less alone. I can immerse my miserable, crushing individuality into something older and wiser – the earth, the long grass; a speck intermingling with an enormous universe.”
The video cleverly uses match cuts and expansive overhead shots to mirror the song’s sonic growth, contrasting the freedom of the outdoors with the claustrophobia of "doomscrolling" in the dark.
With 'Anomie' set for release on April 29, ‘Smart Casual’ joins a stellar run of singles including ‘Milky’ and ‘Woo Me’. It’s a beautiful, bruised, and ultimately hopeful precursor to what is sure to be one of the year’s most essential local releases.
Stream ‘Smart Casual’ now and follow Anna Jeavons on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
